The Beech Tree
by WutevaChica
Summary: James loved the beech tree. He cared for it for years. And what did it do? Caused him the most embarrasing conversation he had in his life. [OneShot]


**The Beech Tree**

The beech tree.

It had been there forever.

It had been there for as long as he could remember at least.

He loved that tree like it was his own. He hung out near the tree, and kept Sirius and Peter from peeing on the tree while they were drunk.

So why did the tree have to be so mean to him today?

It was Christmastime and there was mistletoe everywhere. He hadn't planned to be outside patrolling the grounds with Lily, honest. And he hadn't planned to be standing underneath the mistletoe with her either. It just happened that way.

Stupid evil beech tree.

And if anyone ever insinuated that he had deliberately ended up underneath the mistletoe with Lily, he'd bash his or her face in.

Not that he was a violent person or anything.

Any other time he would have turned his head at an angle, grinned cockily and practically shoved his tongue down her throat. And then get smacked. (He would have deserved it though)

But today was different. Actually this whole past week had been different. His pride was broken.

By who, you ask?

Well, that was a stupid question. Lily of course.

I know what you're thinking, how did it all go down? Well, it was all a formula.

1 part Lily, 1 part James, 2 parts rejection, 5 parts filled great Hall humongous shouting match, a humiliated James, and a supremely ticked off Lily.

But that was last week, and James was still smoldering from her stinging words.

Out of nowhere, James felt a tap on his shoulder.

Yes. It was in fact Lily. But with one look at her, he was confused.

He couldn't read her expression. Whether she was still mad, or mildly embarrassed because of the ever looming mistletoe, or abashed because of the recent shouting match, or sad (this one was a stretch) because somehow, she missed James's constant proposals, or if she were just worried for his well being after this mopey week, James could not tell.

"Er, James?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"Mmm… Wait, what?"

"I just said I was sorry."

"For what?"

"For you know, the whole scene in the Great Hall." Her cheeks became pinker. Was that pink embarrassment or pink cold?

"That wasn't your fault. But- I just want you to know that I meant what I said that day. That I really do like you for you, and I'm not just being a womanizer."

"Oh." Witty.

"Yeah." Wittier.

A few moments passed by when nobody talked or moved. It was an awkward silence made even weirder by the mistletoe that was swaying slightly over their heads. It was moving in the wind in such a manner that if it had feet, it would be tapping its toes impatiently waiting for some action.

"Awkward silence."

A simultaneous "heh" was uttered.

"Er James? I'm a little worried about you." Ha! It was worry!

"James, you've not been yourself recently."

"Well-"

She cut him off, a woman on a mission. Or with something really important to say. " I think it's partially my fault. I shouldn't have started yelling that day and I shouldn't have said all of those hateful things to you in front of everyone."

No, she shouldn't have.

James winced. He forgot that everyone in the whole school, professors included, had seen and heard the argument between them.

"Well its okay. After a week of brooding I figured out that you meant all of what you said and you needed to let it out. It's not a big deal."

Yes, it was a big deal. It was all people could talk about for the past week.

"No. It was a big deal. I didn't mean half of the things I said."

Yes she did. Lily was starting to bug him. (Gasp, usually in James' eyes, Lily was perfect.) Why couldn't she figure out he forgave her? Stupid smart people.

"Look, I got it," he said a little gruffer than he meant to sound. "You got caught up in the moment. It's okay, I forgive you."

No he didn't.

"No you don't"

"I said I did, didn't I?"

"Yes but," her voice wavered.

Holy shit. Tears.

"Oh, um. Don't cry." He held his arms open to her. She grabbed onto him, he held her lightly in his arms, her head fitting perfectly in the crook beneath his neck. She was sobbing on his shoulder, all enmity (and the mistletoe too) forgotten.

Her tears made a wet patch on his shoulder and she breathed in deeply between choking sobs. While breathing deeply, she smelled James' freshey-goodness.

Her sobs became words. "James, I'm sorry. Really, really, sorry. I just want everything to be the same again."

James remembered that cycle well. Ask Lily out, get turned down, sulk a little bit, get pushed back into reality by one of the Marauders, then ask Lily out. Repeat. For seven years.

"I don't." James mumbled.

"Y-you don't?"

Oh dang, no more tears please.

"Yes and no. Yes, I like the normalness of our cycle. But no, because I don't want to go through that anymore. I really don't like feeling pathetic," he said as they let go of each other.

"But you never seemed pathetic…"

"Some of us are better actors than others." Again, he sounded ruder than he intended.

"I never thought you meant half of what you said to me." She wasn't sobbing anymore. Now she was looking at him as though she hadn't seen him before. Which was odd, as they had spent the last six and a half years knowing each other.

James couldn't figure out where she was going with the conversation. But he did suspect a talk about his many faults. He didn't want to hear it but didn't say anything for fear of sounding rude and setting her tear ducts off again. He couldn't stand to see her cry. His eyes wandered upward towards the looming mistletoe. How long had they been standing underneath it?

It was like the stupid beech tree was mocking him.

"I did mean it."

"I'm not saying I'm sorry again because I think you know that now. Can we just make up and be friends?"

"Sure"

Lily wrapped her arms around him and burrowed her face into his coat. James leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"What was that for," Lily asked, surprised.

"Mistletoe."

Lily stood on tiptoe to kiss James but couldn't reach and got his chin instead of his lips. He leaned down, and there beside James' beech tree, he and Lily shared their first kiss.

Thank you, beech tree.

&&&&&&

Remus and Sirius stood quietly around a corner near the beech tree. They had seen the whole thing. Now that they had seen what they were waiting for they walked back up the icy steps into Hogwarts castle.

"Now he's going to come back to us all happy and cheerful because he finally kissed Lily," said Sirius, a little despondent.

"Yes but that will be a happy change from his boring 'I-want-to-wallow-in-self-pity' self."

"How long do you think it will take him to realize that we put the mistletoe all over the place?"

"Soon, he's not that thick."

"Well he better thank us for being so nice or we'll bash his face in."

"So we're being polite about it then?"

_Fin_


End file.
